Open Thread: Triple-A All Star Game

All 30 big league teams are off today, with the Yankees even getting to enjoy one extra day off before returning to work on Friday. That doesn’t mean we’ll have to go without real live baseball though, because the Triple-A All Star Game is being played this evening in b-e-a-utiful Allentown, PA.

Three Yankee farmhands made the International League squad: Jesus Montero (right), Eduardo Nunez, and Jon Albaladejo. Nunez was voted in as a starter by the fans, Montero was selected as a reserve. The Yanks’ top prospect is hitting .312/.380/.550 in his last 30 games, helping erase any concerns about his slow start to the season. It just took the 20-year-old Montero a little time to adjust to Triple-A pitching, that’s all.

Albaladejo has been nothing short of fantastic this season, but I’m willing to bet he’ll handle the all important 8th inning tonight while Scott Mathieson of the hometown Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs gets the 9th inning glory. The game doesn’t mean anything, it’s just a matter of deferring to the hometown guy. I’m actually looking forward to seeing Albie again, just to see how much he’s changed since we last saw him. Supposedly he’s scrapped the sinker/slider approach and has gone with a four-seam fastball/curveball approach. Curious about how true that is.

Here is the rest of the roster, and here’s the team the Pacific Coast League is sending. The game starts at 7pm ET and can be seen on the MLB Network. You can talk about it here, or anything else you want in tonight’s open thread. You guys know what to do, so have at it.

Hopefully that’s true, though ESPNs headlines can get a bit shaky at times.

Having lived through all of the Stienbrenner years, for better and worse, I have enormous confidence in Hal’s stewardship. I think he’ll make 7 WS and 10 pennants in 37 years look like the lean years by the time he’s done.

I was shocked by those remarks. Like I’ve said many a time, I love Lester. But he came off like a doucheweed. There wasn’t any need to be that dismissive or whatever.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com/ bexarama

And the one article I read from boston.com or whatever that was like JON LESTER IS A TRULY BRAVE HERO OF PITCHING LIKE BOB GIBSON WHO WAS ALSO AN ASSHAT, BUT THIS IS A GREAT TRAIT TO HAVE was laaaaaaame.

http://twitter.com/dpatrickg Dirty Pena

Should’ve known you’d reply to your own comment and ruin mine!

http://www.twitter.com/CaptainRaf CaptainRaf

this really is the dumbest thing ive heard. him not dismissing a silly question somehow becomes him sharing a trait with an all time great. Boston guys really reaching there

http://twitter.com/dpatrickg Dirty Pena

And really? You have to be an asshat to a guy on a team that you play like three games every three years against? That makes you a good competitor? Something tells me if A-Rod were to say negative things about Eric Hinske, we wouldn’t hear too many comparisons to Brooks Robinson.

That selfish jerk ARod, always mentioning his personal grievances with other players in a seemingly offhand and random fashion to make us wonder what happened and put himself at the center of attention.

Jon Lester would never do that, he’d just say some bland non-statement and never let us know who he doesn’t like, and we’d thank him for blending in with the rest of the mute, boring crowd.

Sincerely,
AOL Fanhouse

http://twitter.com/dpatrickg Dirty Pena

Naturally it somehow invited a comparison to Bob Gibson from Steve Buckley.

(jerk off motion)

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com/ bexarama

ha ha jiiiiinx =P

http://theyankeeu.com Matt Imbrogno

Maybe Hanley did something really dumb?

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

He probably did. But I don’t see what Lester gains by making those comments.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com/ bexarama

Ditto. I thought of Lester as mostly a cipher to me who was probably a decent guy. Now I’ll think of him as a super asshat. Sadface (but not really, because he’s a Red Sock.).

http://theyankeeu.com Matt Imbrogno

Word.

Jose the Satirist

He just doesn’t like pizza.

ZZ

He hates Dominicans AND Italians.

ESPN needs to run with this story.

http://twitter.com/dpatrickg Dirty Pena

ESPN needs to run with this story.

We both know there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening.

Jose the Satirist

I’ll ask Wally Matthews in his chat on Friday. We’re buddies, maybe I can get it in.

the quote:“I’d have a better chance of being struck by lightning than me and him getting a pizza together,” he said. “You can take that for what it’s worth. But there was no chance on God’s green earth that I was getting a pizza with him.”

http://theyankeeu.com Matt Imbrogno

Jeez.

ZZ

I only read the title of the article, but I can tell you the only logical conclusion from all this is that Jon Lester is racist.

Here are the Yankee games I can think of:
– walkoff against Papelbon
– the third game of the year with Granderson’s HR off Papelbon
– Tex’s late HR against Cleveland
– that game against Minnesota in Minnesota where Pettitte got Mauer to GIDP with runners on the corners in the bottom of the eighth in a tie game, and then Swisher hit the tiebreaking HR in the top of the ninth
– the Sunday night game against the Dodgers with the huge comeback.

Non-Yankee favorite game: The one where Cliff Lee pitched for some team that he was traded to and it wasn’t the Yankees

Jose the Satirist

Winner

Carlosologist

-Galarraga’s perfect game that was saved by AJax’s catch
-The one where the Jays hit six home runs and still lost
-Tex’s three homer game in Boston
-A-Rod’s grand slams
-Tex’s monster shot that almost went into the third deck
-CC’s near no-hitter
-The one where Halladay got whupped by the Yanks at the Stadium

That’s all I’ve got.

http://twitter.com/dpatrickg Dirty Pena

If someone doesn’t mention the first perfect game this year, y’all is getting the 2 OH 9 TREATMENT!

There was also a crazy Twins/Phillies game where the Twins trailed by five or six going into the bottom of the ninth, then tied it up. It went extras and it just, like, kept going. Twins eventually won.

There was also a great Marlins/Rays game the same day, I think. Rays won, but it took tons of extras and a lot of crazy comebacks from both sides in the game. Shields got the win… out of the bullpen.

The 1-0 dual-no-hitters-through-seven (I think) White Sox/Cubs game between Floyd (I think??) and Lilly. It was on Sunday Night Baseball.

Kristen

Jesus is playing now in the AAA All-Star game, if you were waiting to tune in and see him.

Kevin in Delectable Princeton

Jesus is catching. His defense looks fine. Doesn’t hurt that the pitcher (Mets prospect, I think) is hitting his spots nearly flawlessly.

Chris0313

Why he (Misch) isn’t in the majors is beyond me. The Mets are a dumb baseball franchise.

http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

Misch has been in the majors several times for several teams. He’s also been DFA’d several times. He stinks, AAAA-er.

Chris0313

My comment was contextual. Misch should be in the Mets bullpen. The Mets bullpen is atrocious.

It’s akin to saying that we should DFA Chad Gaudin so we can promote Zack Segovia. At best, it’s a lateral move.

http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

Pat Misch =/= not a prospect.

Kevin in Delectable Princeton

I didn’t notice he was 29, hahaha.

pat

I think much ado is made about his defense because A) you can’t say shit about the bat and B) compared to how advanced the bat is the glove looks bad. I said it the other night, I don’t think he’s any worse than some of the worst guys playing now, Vmart, McCann, Napoli etc.

Chris0313

Varitek, Cervelli, Posada

Chris0313

That was a pretty cool moment for Erik Kratz. I wish him well.

Kristen

I thought that was really cool, too. I had to laugh when he (Kratz) was trying not to cry and Mitch asks, “so how do you feel?” Ummm, isn’t it obvious?

No, it’s not right. That’s what it said for last 365 days though on B-R.

http://twitter.com/dpatrickg Dirty Pena

Greinke: 12-16, 3.01 ERA, 221 IP, 214 K, 3.75 K/BB, 1.12 WHIP.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com/ bexarama

His peripherals combined with his W-L make me :( :( :( Poor Zack.

Carlosologist

Kila Ka’aihue is being blocked by Royals FO stupidity. I wonder what it would take to pry him away. He could be that lefty bat with thump we need for the second half and could spell Tex when he needs a rest.

“That is one of the major problems with trying to judge catchers ability to throw out baserunners at the minor league level.

Most of the pitchers have no clue how to hold on baserunners.”

Fixed. It doesn’t really change at the big boy level either.

ZZ

Good point. It is more pronounced at the minor league level, but it definitely is a problem in the majors as well. You don’t have to look any further than the Yankee staff.

The Red Sox are the worst. They don’t teach their pitchers at all how to do it.

Cecala

I was thinking that as Montero was catching, he doesn’t seem as bad as everyone makes him out to be behind the plate. He looks fine catching wise and if its based on throwing runners out, his CS % can’t be much worse than Cervelli’s.

JPK

Wow, seriously how do you make that mistake

Brooklyn Ed

Soo…apparently the Jays stole the Yanks future SS just incase Jeter left, Yunel Escobar. Seriously, Escobar for Alex Gonzalez? seriously… We could had given the Braves Kei Igawa.

/talking nonsense.

http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

Albaladejo’s on. Three straight four seamers…

forensicnucchem

Albaladejo in to close…

forensicnucchem

Yeah Mitch, he’s going to be up because Joba’s struggling. It’ll have nothing to do with Park, Gaudin, etc…

theyankeewarrior

Albie to deh 8eighth8!1!!11!!!!1!!!

/seriously’d

Ivan

Hey does anybody thinks that Danilo Gallinari can be an All-Star this coming season.

http://soxandpinstripes.net Angelo

That would seem rather soon. Doubt it. It’ll happen eventually if he keeps it up. Sooner than later.

Tom Zig

what radio station is WFAN? I want to be sure to tune into Steve at 2, as it is right after my lunch break.